An onyx raven tore across the skies of Irea like a shard of living darkness, its colossal wings beating hard enough to send violent currents ripping through the air beneath it.
Close behind, a crimson blur pursued with relentless speed, vast enough to eclipse entire streets whenever it passed overhead.
The pressure generated by the two monsters alone was enough to shake rooftops and rattle windows across the outer districts of the city. Citizens below stopped in stunned disbelief, some pointing upward while others fled for cover, unable to comprehend the sight unfolding above them.
Between those monstrous silhouettes, Vale clung tightly to Illu's bladed feathers, his reinforced gloves the only thing preventing his hands from being shredded apart by the raven's razor-edged plumage.
Beneath the obsidian mask, his eyes remained focused despite the savage wind battering against him. The ocean stretched in the distance ahead of them, dark and endless beneath the fading light, but it was still far enough away to leave plenty of room for disaster.
If he had to estimate, they were still several hundred meters from reaching open water. Under normal circumstances, that distance would have meant nothing. Right now, however, every second mattered.
Because the vice commander was gaining on them.
Vale gritted his teeth beneath the mask, his fingers tightening around Illu's feathers as he glanced back over his shoulder. The crimson wyvern remained directly behind them, massive wings cutting through the air with terrifying precision.
Riding atop the creature stood the vice commander herself, calm and unmoving despite the sheer velocity of the chase. Her dark mask concealed her expression completely, yet Vale could practically feel her gaze locked onto him.
"Not like she'll actually capture us," he muttered beneath his breath, though even he could hear the lack of confidence in his own voice.
As if mocking his attempt at reassurance, a thunderous roar exploded from the wyvern's jaws. The sound struck like physical force, rattling through Vale's chest hard enough to make him flinch. He squeezed his eyes shut for a split second in irritation, but the moment he opened them again, his expression changed instantly.
Fire was gathering within the wyvern's maw.
Vale's eyes widened beneath the mask as orange light illuminated the creature's teeth from within. Heat rippled through the air around it, growing more intense with each passing second.
"Is she insane?" Vale hissed internally. "We're still over Irea!"
The vice commander stood perfectly still atop the beast as the flames intensified, utterly unconcerned by the danger below. Streets, towers, civilians, none of it seemed to matter. The blazing energy condensed rapidly into a spiraling inferno capable of erasing entire buildings in a single breath.
Vale reacted immediately.
"DOWN, NOW!"
Illu obeyed without hesitation.
The colossal raven folded its wings inward and dropped like a hunting falcon. Vale's stomach lurched violently as they plummeted toward the city streets below, the sudden descent nearly ripping him free from Illu's back. A heartbeat later, the wyvern unleashed its attack.
A spiraling torrent of fire erupted through the sky behind them.
The inferno screamed overhead close enough for Vale to feel the heat scorch through the gaps in his armor. Buildings in the distance reflected the orange glow as the attack tore harmlessly past them and vanished into the horizon. Had they remained a second longer in their previous position, both Vale and Illu would have been incinerated instantly.
Illu leveled out just above the rooftops, black wings spreading wide once more as the raven skimmed dangerously close to the streets below. Vale exhaled in relief before glancing upward again.
The vice commander had stopped charging another breath attack.
A grin slowly formed beneath his mask.
"Alright," he muttered, "that solves one problem."
They were too close to the city now. Any large-scale attack risked collateral damage, and even the vice commander couldn't casually level half of Irea just to stop them. That restriction alone bought Vale precious time.
But only a little.
The crimson wyvern remained locked onto them with frightening persistence, its burning eyes never once wavering from its target. Vale narrowed his own gaze, watching the beast carefully while cold sea air finally began brushing against his armor.
The ocean.
They had reached it.
Ahead of them stretched endless dark waters crashing violently against jagged stone formations protruding from the sea like colossal spears. Vale's pulse quickened slightly at the sight.
If they reached those formations, Illu would have a real chance to disappear. The terrain there was too dense and unstable for large-scale aerial pursuit.
"Alright," Vale murmured, "just a little farther…"
A sudden flash of light exploded beside him.
Vale recoiled instinctively, but before he could even react properly, Illu twisted violently beneath him. The raven barrel-rolled through the air with impossible agility as another spiraling stream of flames ripped past them and slammed into the ocean below.
The sea erupted.
Water vaporized on impact, turning into a massive cloud of steam that billowed upward like a volcanic eruption. Vale stared in stunned disbelief at the boiling ocean beneath them before slowly turning his gaze back toward the crimson wyvern.
Smoke curled from its jaws.
A nervous grin spread beneath Vale's mask.
"If that hits us directly," he realized, "we're dead."
He shifted his grip and steadied himself again.
"Alright, Illu," he called over the roaring wind, "avoid combat at all costs."
Yet even as he spoke, a vast shadow descended over them.
Vale looked up sharply.
The wyvern had folded its wings inward and begun diving straight toward them.
"Damn it."
They were already flying as low as possible above the water. If the wyvern closed the distance now, Illu would lose his mobility advantage entirely. Vale's eyes flickered toward the stone formations ahead once more, desperation beginning to creep into his thoughts.
Closer.
Just a little closer.
Then the ocean exploded.
Water burst upward in a violent eruption as a massive reef wyvern lunged from beneath the surface directly into Illu's path. Vale's eyes widened in shock as rows of jagged teeth snapped upward toward them.
Illu reacted.
The raven surged upward with a powerful flap of its wings, narrowly avoiding the ambush before twisting midair with horrifying speed. Its bladed feathers lashed outward like a storm of black knives.
The reef wyvern screamed.
One wing separated from its body in a spray of blood before the creature crashed back into the ocean below. Illu let out a low, unnatural chuckle as the dying beast disappeared beneath the waves.
A chill crawled down Vale's spine.
Even now, after everything they had been through together, moments like that reminded him exactly what Illu truly was.
Vale forced out a weak grin.
"Right… just keep flying. We're almost there."
Behind them, another eruption shook the sea.
Vale glanced back just in time to witness a second reef wyvern launch itself toward the crimson pursuer. The beast never stood a chance. The vice commander's wyvern seized it directly out of the air, jaws clamping shut with brutal force before ripping the creature clean in half.
Blood rained into the ocean below.
Vale's expression tightened.
'That could have been Illu.'
But there was no point dwelling on it now. They had gone too far to retreat.
Then suddenly, darkness passed overhead.
Vale looked upward.
Massive stone structures rose from the ocean around them, towering formations resembling gigantic coral pillars carved from black rock. One after another emerged from the sea, forming a labyrinth of narrow pathways and vertical terrain impossible for normal aerial movement.
A grin spread beneath Vale's mask.
They had reached the reef formations.
The moment he turned back, the wyvern opened its jaws once more, another inferno beginning to gather within its throat. Vale's eyes darted rapidly across the maze around them.
Tight passages.
Jagged corners.
Vertical surfaces.
This place wasn't made for flying.
It was made for climbing.
Vale tapped the raven twice.
Illu veered sideways and shot toward an narrow opening between two stone pillars. Behind them, the wyvern unleashed another torrent of flames.
The inferno screamed after them.
Illu folded its wings inward, compressing its enormous body with terrifying precision as it slipped through the narrow gap barely moments before the fire collided with the stone behind them. Explosions of heat and shattered rock echoed throughout the formation.
Vale let out an audible sigh of relief.
Then he heard a loud impact behind them.
He glanced back.
The crimson wyvern had landed directly onto the stone structures.
Its massive talons dug deep into the rock while its burning eyes remained locked onto them with predatory fury. For a brief second, Vale thought the creature might abandon the chase due to the terrain.
Then it moved.
The wyvern lunged upward with horrifying speed, using its wing talons to climb across the stone formations like some monstrous gecko. Entire chunks of rock shattered beneath its grip as it leapt from pillar to pillar in relentless pursuit.
Except this "gecko" was dozens of meters long, capable of flight, and could reduce oceans to steam.
Vale stared in disbelief.
"That's just great," he muttered bitterly.
The wyvern roared again, the sound reverberating violently through the reef labyrinth while stone debris rained into the ocean below. Despite its size, it moved with terrifying efficiency, rapidly closing the distance once more.
Vale narrowed his eyes toward the vice commander standing atop its back.
Then slowly, dangerously, a grin formed beneath his mask.
A terrible idea surfaced in his mind.
A very terrible idea.
"I see…" he murmured quietly, lowering his stance atop Illu's back.
His gaze sharpened.
"It seems," he continued, "we'll have to get rid of the rider first."